N-level replication of supplemental content

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving a transacting media container having video content and an affiliate tracking identifier with first entity information associated with a first entity. The method also includes identifying second entity information associated with a second entity and retrieving supplemental content based on the second entity information. The method further includes adding the supplemental content to the transacting media container and the second entity information to the affiliate tracking identifier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This disclosure claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to the followingpatent applications:

U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/883,883 filed on Sep. 27,2013 and entitled “N-LEVEL REPLICATION OF SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT FOR BASECONTENT;” and

U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/883,809 filed on Sep. 27,2013 and entitled “AD-HOC DYNAMIC BINDING.”

Both of these provisional patent applications are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure is directed in general to software and more specificallyto multi-level (n-level) replication of supplemental content.

BACKGROUND

It is well-known that videos may be broadcast or provided through anumber of media, such as television, the Internet, DVDs, and the like.To finance such video broadcasts, commercial advertisements are oftenplaced in the videos. Commercials, however, require that a video bemomentarily interrupted while the commercials are displayed. Not only isthis annoying to viewers, but digital video recorders (DVRs) allow videoprograms to be pre-recorded. When the video programs are viewed, DVRsallow the viewers to fast-forward through commercials, thereby defeatingthe effectiveness and value of the commercials. When commercials arede-valued, costs are not adequately covered, and broadcast servicequality suffers as a result. In many cases, costs are made up bycharging viewers for video services.

In many conventional systems, a variety of different content has littleor no interactivity. This includes both videos and images. For example,when viewing video, different objects in the video are often merely partof a single video stream that is inseparable with respect to thedifferent objects. Static advertisements near the video stream relatedto the video are not very compelling as they are separated from thevideo in such a way that a user is not encouraged to interact with thestatic advertisement.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides n-level replication of supplemental content.

In a first embodiment, a method includes receiving a transacting mediacontainer having video content and an affiliate tracking identifier withfirst entity information associated with a first entity. The method alsoincludes identifying second entity information associated with a secondentity and retrieving supplemental content based on the second entityinformation. The method further includes adding the supplemental contentto the transacting media container and the second entity information tothe affiliate tracking identifier.

In a second embodiment, an apparatus includes at least one memoryconfigured to store a transacting media container, where the transactingmedia container includes video content and an affiliate trackingidentifier with first entity information. The apparatus also includes atleast one processing device configured to receive the transacting mediacontainer from a first entity, identify second entity informationassociated with a second entity, retrieve supplemental content based onthe second entity information, and add the supplemental content to thetransacting media container and the second entity information to theaffiliate tracking identifier.

In a third embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumincludes logic stored on the computer-readable medium. The logic isconfigured when executed to cause at least one processing device toreceive a transacting media container having video content and anaffiliate tracking identifier with first entity information associatedwith a first entity, identify second entity information associated witha second entity, retrieve supplemental content based on the secondentity information, and add the supplemental content to the transactingmedia container and the second entity information to the affiliatetracking identifier.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages,reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system that can be utilizedto facilitate communication between endpoints through a communicationnetwork according to this disclosure;

FIGS. 2A through 2E illustrate example dynamic bindings of supplementalcontent to base content according to this disclosure;

FIGS. 3A through 3C illustrate example displays that may be created withdynamic binding according to this disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates another example display that may be created withdynamic binding according to this disclosure;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate examples of n-level replication ofsupplemental content according to this disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display that may be created with n-levelreplication of supplemental content according to this disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example parent-child series of relationshipssupporting n-level replication of supplemental content according to thisdisclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process for managing a transacting mediacontainer to support n-level replication of supplemental contentaccording to this disclosure; and

FIG. 9 illustrates an example computing device for n-level replicationof supplemental content according to this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 9, discussed below, and the various embodiments used todescribe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document areby way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way tolimit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that the principles of this disclosure may be implemented inany suitably arranged system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system 100 that can beutilized to facilitate communication between endpoints through acommunication network according to this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1,the system 100 includes various endpoints 110, 120, and 130. In thisdocument, the term “endpoint” generally refers to any device, system, orother structure that communicates with another endpoint. Exampleendpoints 110, 120, and 130 include but are not limited to servers (suchas application servers and enterprise servers), desktop computers,laptop computers, netbook computers, tablet computers (such as APPLEIPADs), switches, mobile phones (such as IPHONE and ANDROID-basedphones), networked glasses (such as GOOGLE GLASS), networkedtelevisions, networked disc players, components in a cloud-computingnetwork, or any other device or component suitable for communicatinginformation to and from a communication network. Endpoints 110, 120, and130 may support Internet Protocol (IP) or any other suitablecommunication protocol(s). Endpoints 110, 120, and 130 may additionallyinclude medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) interfaces,such as those that conform to the IEEE 701.11 standard. An endpoint 110,120, and 130 can have a device identifier, such as a MAC address, andmay have a device profile that describes the endpoint.

A communication network 140 facilitates communications between theendpoints 110, 120, and 130. Various links 115, 125, and 135 couple theendpoints 110, 120, and 130 to the communication network 140. Thecommunication network 140 and associated links 115, 125, and 135 mayinclude but are not limited to a public or private data network, atelephony network, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan areanetwork (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireline or wireless network(such as GSM, CDMA, LTE, WIMAX, 5G, or the like), alocal/regional/global communication network, portions of acloud-computing network, a communication bus for components in a system,an optical network, a satellite network, an enterprise intranet, or anyother communication links or combinations of the preceding. Inparticular embodiments, portions of the links 115, 125, 135 or thecommunication network 140 may be on or form a part of the Internet.

Although the endpoints 110, 120, and 130 generally appear as being in asingle location in FIG. 1, various endpoints may be geographicallydispersed, such as in cloud computing scenarios. Also, each endpointcould represent a fixed or mobile device. When the endpoints 110, 120,and 130 communicate with one another, any of a variety of securityschemes may be utilized. As an example, in particular embodiments, theendpoints 110 and 120 may represent clients, and the endpoint(s) 130 mayrepresent one or more servers in a client-server architecture. Theserver(s) may host a website, and the website may have a registrationprocess whereby a user establishes a username and password toauthenticate or log into the website. The website may additionallyutilize a web application for any particular application or feature thatmay need to be served up to the website for use by the user.Additionally, in particular configurations, the communication betweenthe endpoints 110 and 120 may be facilitated using a communication paththrough the endpoint 130.

Various embodiments described in this patent document may benefit fromand/or utilize SMART CONTAINER technology from CINSAY, INC., which isbriefly described below and is described more fully in U.S. Pat. No.8,769,053 (which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety).This technology provides an innovative way for merchants to reach theircustomers online. In the traditional online sales model, merchants needto create search or display ads that show up when online consumers visitsearch engine sites or various web properties. If a consumer sees aninteresting ad related to a product or service, the consumer needs toleave his or her current activity and visit some other web destinationto discover more information or make an online purchase. Consumers havespecific online behavior patterns. If consumers are actively shopping,the traditional multistep model is workable. The traditional advertisingsales model requires that a consumer stop what he or she is doing andvisit some other online destination. However, if consumers are on socialsites interacting with friends, reading the news, playing games, orengaging in other online activities, they are much less likely to leavetheir current activities to visit some external Internet destinations.

The SMART CONTAINER model brings product information or a store to theconsumer. The SMART CONTAINER code/technology virally syndicates acrossthe web, for example, using components described with reference to FIGS.1 and 5 or using other components. It is ideal for those types ofdestinations that online consumers tend to frequent, such as socialnetworks and blogs. Regardless, if the SMART CONTAINER code is locatedon a web page, a blog article, a social network page or wall, or amobile device, a consumer can complete a transaction right there with noneed to be diverted to some external destination.

SMART CONTAINER objects are intelligent Internet objects that virallysyndicate and propagate across the web and other connected networks andmobile devices. They can be configured in a variety of ways to addressthe entire value chain of online marketing and shopping. This includesimpressions, clicks, lead generation, and performing e-commercetransactions. A modern shopping experience works best when interactivemedia is used. One of the most appealing forms of media for sales andshopping is video. It allows a much more lifelike representation thantext or static pictures. It also creates a much richer product browsingor shopping experience.

SMART CONTAINER code is normally configured with a video player window,a selection of products or services being offered, and a variety ofrelated video clips. This collection of video clips allows a consumer tolearn more about the products or services being offered. The consumercan select any of these offered items to get more details, all enclosedwithin the SMART CONTAINER technology.

The offered items (products or services) may be items being advertisedor sold. Depending on the type, the SMART CONTAINER code may allow aconsumer to request to be contacted, or even purchase the object, rightthere. The consumer need not leave his or her current activity or webpage. Offered items could also include or be associated with discountsor coupons. They may even be an opportunity to donate to a charity orpolitical campaign. Of course, sometimes it does make sense to visitanother Internet designation, and if appropriate the consumer cancertainly be linked there as well.

Because the SMART CONTAINER code handles all the complexity, it can turnthe simplest website into an instant e-commerce store. This enablesanyone to transact online without having to deal with the complexity ofsetting up an e-commerce site. For merchants with an e-commerce site, itreadily enables a much richer shopping experience. For the creativehobbyist or local band, it lets them readily sell directly to interestedconsumers. To support and promote them, supplemental items in the SMARTCONTAINER code called ON-DEMAND merchandise can be offered. Merchantscan custom design a selection of apparel with their art and graphics tobe sold along with their own creations. ON-DEMAND fulfillmentdynamically produces and ships their custom apparel for them,eliminating the need to manage inventory and providing their onlinecustomers with a richer line of products. Of course, because theirinstant e-commerce stores are based on SMART CONTAINER objects, it canalso propagate out onto all forms of viral syndication methods as well.

The SMART CONTAINER code is also auto-customizing according toparticular configurations. If a device is a traditional personalcomputer (PC) or laptop, it will render using optimal technology, whichfor this purpose could represent FLASH. On mobile devices such asIPHONEs, IPADs, or ANDROID phones, this means HTML5 or a nativeinteractive app will likely get used. The items in the SMART CONTAINERcode also know about each other according to particular configurations.When a video is playing, a container can update product and serviceobjects being shown that correspond with the particular sequence in avideo segment. It allows a “mini QVC” shopping channel to be created andsyndicated across the Internet. Beyond device type, there are otherdimensions of customization. Smaller devices and some environments suchas social sites restrict window sizes, so the SMART CONTAINER codeadapts. In addition, it may be appropriate to provide different contentbased on geolocation, so the SMART CONTAINER code can customize forthese, as well.

The SMART CONTAINER code virally syndicates across the Internetfollowing the more popular network paths. SMART CONTAINER objects can behosted on traditional web pages or blogs, contained in emails, operateon mobile devices, or propagate social networks. Because the SMARTCONTAINER code is flexible, it can also be set up in the form factor ofa display ad unit and distributed via ad servers on display advertisingnetworks. When the code exists on social networks like FACEBOOK, it canride the wave of user “likes.” For example, if a woman shopper likessome great shoes shown in a SMART CONTAINER object interface, the SMARTCONTAINER object can propagate directly to their “wall.” Now all of herfriends see the SMART CONTAINER object and can view or transact rightthere on their own walls. Of course, if any of her friends also “like”it, the SMART CONTAINER object propagates and rides the wave further outinto that branch of the social network, yielding a potential exponentialgrowth factor. The container does not necessarily involve products likeshoes. As another example, a container can support a politician runningfor office. His or her supporters may be passionate about a message and“like” it, again making it available to their networks. Now,similarly-minded political supporters can view those messages and, if somoved, donate to the cause. Yet another example is sports. In this case,a sports fan may wish to watch content on his or her high-definition(HD) large screen television. More and more users have interconnecteddevices such as ROKU and CHROMECAST devices, and the SMART CONTAINERcode may be sent to such IP television boxes, as well.

When merchants launch and syndicate their SMART CONTAINER objects ontothe Internet, they want to know how their campaigns are performing.SMART CONTAINER objects report back status on events and transactions ofinterest such as impressions, video views, clicks, leads, and sales. Allsuch events/transactions can be sent back as events occur, providingdetails on how they are doing. Because the containers are smart, theycan be instructed to change behavior, offer different clips, updateproducts, or to end when it is time to stop a marketing or salescampaign.

Another form of tracking relates to how the SMART CONTAINER code ispropagated. A merchant may wish to use affiliates to help syndicate themand pay them a percentage based on the transactions resulting from theirwork. SMART CONTAINER objects can be tagged with affiliate trackingidentifiers, allowing status reports and transactions from containerinstances or their descendants to be properly filtered. The trackingidentifiers may allow tracking, reporting, and commission calculationsfor a container or descendant branches of containers in the hierarchy,such as different entity levels. Another tracking usage may be for apolitician to assign affiliate codes to his or her supporters and beable to measure whose efforts result in the most new supporters.

SMART CONTAINER objects are designed to be highly scalable according toparticular configurations. Rather than burden a single website withmassive traffic (which would result from a traditional model of bringingall consumers to a store), SMART CONTAINER code operates in adistributed manner. For example, the SMART CONTAINER code can executewhere it is located, such as on a blog, a social network, or a mobiledevice. SMART CONTAINER objects fetch their instructions when startedand then gather their product items and video streams from a worldwidedistributed content delivery network. This results in a highly scalablearchitecture, allowing millions of concurrent consumers.

By bringing the store to the customer, the SMART CONTAINER code enablesmany new ways for merchants to connect with their consumers withoutdisrupting the consumers' web activities. The end result is to connectthe consumers directly with the merchants, eliminating the middleman andpromoting a much more natural shopping experience.

The functionality of the above description may avail from any suitablecomponents, such as those described in FIGS. 1 and 12 or other suitablecomponents. The code itself may be written in any suitable format,including but not limited to Java, C++, C-sharp, HTML, HTML5, JAVASCRIPT, PYTHON, RUBY, and the like.

There exists a variety of media content (video and audio) in the worldthat is independent, existing separate from any special containers suchas the SMART CONTAINER code. Certain embodiments of this disclosure seekto harness the power of such content by dynamically binding supplementalcontent to the underlying base content. As a simple example, a video maybe streamed from a content server, such as is provided by one of manyvideo streaming services. According to certain embodiments of thisdisclosure, supplemental content is added dynamically to such content.In one or more embodiments, “dynamically” may also be referred to as“real-time.” The disclosure below, among other things, describes theaddition of such supplemental content and the determination of whichsupplemental content to provide. This can be done based on the basecontent, a user profile, a device profile, or other factors.

FIGS. 2A through 2E illustrate example dynamic bindings of supplementalcontent to base content according to this disclosure. As seen in FIGS.2A through 2E, a base content 200 is generally shown. The base content200 represents literally any type of visual or audio content—be it apicture, a streaming video, a live stream from a remote location,real-time content from the current location of a device, a web page, orother types of visual content. The supplemental content representsadditional information related to the base content and/or a useraccessing the base content. In one or more embodiments, the supplementalcontent can override the module playing the base content and expand thefunctionality of the module (such as with YOUTUBE).

In some embodiments, supplemental content may include additionalinformation, configurable controls, selectable configurations, contenttransactional items such as products or services, and the like. Althoughthe displayable area for the base content 200 is generally shown ashaving a rectangular boundary area, the displayable area for the basecontent 200 may take on other shapes. Additionally, the base content 200may be shown in (or through) a virtually limitless number of devices,from mobile phones to computers to televisions.

As examples of the above, the base content 200 may be a video streamedthrough a video-based provider, such as YOUTUBE, VIMEO, NETFLIX, REDBOXINSTANT or others, being viewed on a computer, a mobile device, atelevision screen, or any other suitable device or devices. The basecontent 200 may also be a real-time view of content at a currentlocation being viewed through an electronic device such as GOGGLE GLASSor a real-time view in a mobile computing device such as a tablet orphone. In yet other configurations, the base content 200 may be animage. In still other configurations, the base content 200 may be a webpage.

Also shown in FIGS. 2A through 2E are non-limiting examples of thesupplemental content 210 a-210 e that are configured to dynamically bindto the base content 200. Although certain examples are provided, itshould be understood that such examples are non-limiting and otherconfigurations may be utilized as will become apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art having read this disclosure. In someconfigurations, the supplemental content may overlay the base content,whether partially transparent or not. Examples of supplemental content210 b and 210 e overlaying the base content 200 are shown in FIG. 2B(left position) and FIG. 2E. In other configurations, the supplementalcontent may be positioned outside of the base content 200, such as tothe left, right, top, bottom, or other positions. Examples ofsupplemental content 210 a, 210 c, and 210 d outside of a boundary areaof the base content 200 are shown in FIG. 2A, FIG. 2C (left position),and FIG. 2D.

In certain configurations, the supplemental content may be selectivelydisplayable and/or selectively “hideable,” such as due to user action orinaction. For example, in some configurations, a user interacting with acontainer for the base content may cause a menu with supplementalcontent to appear. Examples of these configurations are shown in FIGS.2B and 2C with the double-edged arrows representing selectivedisplay-ability or selective hide-ability.

In still other configurations, the supplemental content may beginoutside an area of the base content 200 and expand to cover, partiallytransparent or not, the base content 200. For example, as seen in FIG.2D, the position of the supplemental content 210 d on the left is justbelow a displayable area for the base content 200. However, in theposition of the supplemental content 210 d on the right (which may bethe result of interactivity by a user), the supplemental content 210 dexpands to at least partially overlay the base content 200 (as shown byan area 210 d′). A similar configuration is also shown in FIG. 2E exceptthat the supplemental content 210 e began as an overlay of the screenand an area 210 e′ covers an entire edge of the displayable area for thebase content 200.

In particular configurations, the supplemental content is independent ofthe base content and is bound dynamically as the base content isdisplayed. For example, in particular settings, a web page may have acontainer (such as an embed code) that instantiates (loads or invokes)(i) the base content and (ii) the supplemental content. According tocertain configurations, a call for supplemental content can be based onwhat is being shown in the base content, with the supplemental contentspecifically relating to the base content. Additionally, thesupplemental content may be based on other parameters, such as a userprofile or a geolocation of the user viewing the base content. Asanother example, in other configurations, a page analyzer can review aweb page to determine locations where base content is contained andoverlay or adjust such base content.

According to this specification, the concept of “binding” refers toassociating supplemental content with base content, whereas “dynamicbinding” refers to associating content on the fly, such as upondetection of the base content. In particular configurations, the initialassociation may allow the subsequent sharing of both the supplementalcontent and the base content together, as will be described withreference to figures below. More particularly, in certainconfigurations, an initial dynamic binding yields a shareable container(which may or may not be instantiated by an embed code) that, upon beingshared to a new device, instantiates the underlying base content and thesupplemental content. In other configurations, no such container iscreated, and a dynamic binding or dynamic association of thesupplemental content is done for every playing of the video. In yetother configurations, supplemental content may be bound to a video, andthe particular content is dynamically determined when the video isrequested for playback.

A variety of technologies may be used for the above-described dynamicbinding. As an example non-limiting configuration, the supplementalcontent may be configured as one layer in a display, where the basecontent is another layer. In such configurations, the layer for thesupplemental content may be forward in the layers to allow an overlay asmight be appropriate. In other configurations, the supplemental contentmay simply be provided a positioning with respect to the base content.

In particular configurations, the supplemental content can bedynamically sized based on a determined size of the base content and/orthe spacing configurations for the device on which the base content andthe supplemental content will be displayed. In other configurations,given a particular size for the base content, the supplemental contentmay use the same size for a container that requests a slightlyreduced-size base content with extra room for the supplemental content.In implementing such a configuration, the technology can intercept arequest for the base content and redirect such a request in order torequest a container that, in turn, requests the base content and thenthe supplemental content. This latter configuration may be beneficialfor scenarios where the supplemental content does not overlay the basecontent.

FIGS. 3A through 3C illustrate example displays that may be created withdynamic binding according to this disclosure. With reference to FIG. 3A,a base content 300 is shown. Here, the base content 300 is a video,although as noted above other types of content may also be used for thebase content 300. Two types of supplemental content are shown, namelysupplemental content 310 a that initially overlays the displayable areaof the base content 300 and supplemental content 310 b that initiallydoes not overlay the displayable area of the based content 300.

The supplemental content 310 a is an interactive toolbar that contains avariety of options, including play and audio options 311, share options313, account login options 315, video quality options 317, and furtherinformation options 319. The functionality of the play and audio options311 are apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Also shown is aplay bar 312, which is apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Inparticular configurations, the play bar 312 may replace a play bar thatwould otherwise co-exist for a display of the base content 300.

Upon clicking on the share options 313, a variety of other options maybe provided. For example, a user may be given the opportunity to share acontainer of the dynamically bound content via networks such asFACEBOOK, MYSPACE, TWITTER, YAHOO, LINKEDIN, GOOGLE, or WORDPRESS.Furthermore, the user may be given the option to copy embed codes andshare via email. Additionally, the user may be able to propagate thecontainer by clicking the “like” thumb or “+1”ing on GOOGLE PLUS. Theaccount login options 315 may allow a user to sign into a variety ofnetworks including, for example, CINSAY, FACEBOOK, or GOOGLE. The videoquality options 317 allow modification of the video, and the furtherinformation options 319 provide any of a variety of options that may beselected related to supplemental information.

The supplemental content 310 b is shown as a product carousel thatcontains a plurality of interactive items corresponding to products orservices shown in the video. In particular configurations, a user mayinteract with the displayable product carousel and purchase items ortransact without leaving the displayable areas of the supplementalcontent 310 b and base content 300. For example, with reference to acontainer (with the supplemental content and the base content 300) on aFACEBOOK wall of a friend, a user may purchase the product directly fromthe container for such items. In other configurations, a user may leavethe container and be redirected to a website.

With reference to FIG. 3B, interactivity with a particular item 340 isshown, namely a product called SMYTHE. When a user “mouse overs” anitem, eye tracking identifies a pause of the user's eyes over the item,a mouse hovers over the item, or the user “mouse clicks” on the item, itoverlays as shown in FIG. 3B. In another example, a user could touch atouch screen to select an item. Further information about the product orservice is shown. Additionally, when one clicks on the “TAKE ACTION”button, the user is taken to the view shown in FIG. 3C.

With reference to FIG. 3C, a user is allowed to further interact withthe overlay screen, including viewing even further additionalinformation 350. In FIG. 3C, in some embodiments, the base content 300may be completely overlaid. In other examples, the base content 300 maybe partially overlaid. In some embodiments, according to certainconfigurations, the user is allowed to further interact with the overlayscreen by purchasing the item displayed, sharing the item displayed,and/or closing the additional information and reverting to the screenshown in FIG. 3A or 3B. In an example embodiment, the user may accessthese functions by clicking a “TAKE ACTION” button 355 a, a “SHARE”button 355 b, and/or a “CLOSE” button 355 c.

FIG. 4 illustrates another example display that may be created withdynamic binding according to this disclosure. In FIG. 4, a mobile phone450 is positioned in front of an object. The object is displayed on themobile phone 450, for example, as captured through a camera on themobile phone. In an example embodiment, the mobile phone may be a smartphone with a display screen to display the object. The display shown onthe display screen corresponds to underlying base content 400. Uponinitiation of embodiments of this disclosure, supplemental content 410can be provided on the display of the mobile phone 450.

In the above description, the binding of supplemental content to basecontent has been described. As described below, to facilitate theplacement of supplemental content with base content, the relationshipbetween the two can be replicated to multiple levels (referred to as“n-levels,” where n is an integer greater than one) of a hierarchy. Inparticular configurations, this replication may be viewed as areplication of a template, portions of which may or may not be modifiedaccording to the settings for the replication. Such a dynamicreplication can help to yield significant time efficiency since anentity is not starting from scratch each time a new set of supplementalcontent is arranged. The entity may refer to a merchant or creator ofsmart stores

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate examples of n-level replication ofsupplemental content according to this disclosure. In FIGS. 5A and 5B,the “levels” will be described with reference to geographic regions.However, it should be expressly understood that a variety of otherlevels may be utilized including, but not limited to, multi-levelmarketing scenarios.

With reference to FIG. 5A, base content 500 is provided along withsupplemental content 510 a-510 c. Supplemental content 510 a maycorrespond to any type of supplemental content. For example,supplemental content 510 a could correspond to an entity, company, ororganization. In this example, supplemental content 510 a corresponds toa title or a logo of a particular company (namely “ACME, Inc.”), whichmay have a national presence. Supplemental content 510 b corresponds toother supplemental content. Supplemental content 510 b could be relatedor unrelated to supplemental content 510 a. In this example,supplemental content 510 b corresponds to regional information (namely“Texas”) and may include text, logos, and the like. Supplemental content510 c represents other supplemental content that may also be displayed,such as supplemental content related to one or more products orservices. As a particular example, the supplemental content 510 c couldrelate to one or more products or services or other content displayed inthe base content 500.

With reference to FIG. 5B, a diagram is shown with an examplereplication arrangement. This diagram is a non-limiting example of oneway to view the relationships between levels. The highest level 580shown in FIG. 5B is associated with a particular company (ACME, Inc.)and could relate to a larger geographic region, such as nationalbranding information. The next level 582 (referred to as the “secondlevel”) shows three example items 582 a-582 c related to smallergeographic regions, namely California, Texas, and New York in thisexample. The next level 584 (referred to as the “third level”) showsthree example items 584 a-584 c related to even smaller geographicregions, namely the cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston in thisexample.

In operation, the company (ACME, Inc.) may choose to have a particulardisplay of supplemental content replicated to all levels below it. Forexample, with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, all items in the chain willdisplay the supplemental content 510 a that the company chooses. Thissupplemental content 510 a may be dynamically obtained and/ordynamically modifiable. In other embodiments, the supplemental content510 a can be set for each level. Additionally, the placement of thesupplemental content 510 a may also be dynamically obtained and/ordynamically modifiable.

Additionally, a region (such as in Texas) may choose to have all levelsbelow it display supplemental content 510 b. This supplemental content510 b may similarly be dynamically obtained and/or dynamicallymodifiable. Moreover, the placement of such supplemental content 510 bmay also be dynamically obtained and/or dynamically modifiable. Thisprocess of replication may continue downstream for any number of levelsthat have been configured.

The end result is that the identification of supplemental content at onelevel is effectively “replicated” to any lower levels. Each level canalso select its own supplemental content, which can be displayed alongwith the supplemental content replicated from the higher levels.

In some embodiments, this replication may be viewed as “locking”parameters for downstream levels. Stated differently, “child” downstreamlevels inherit certain parameters from whatever “parent” upstream levelsexist above it. The locked parameters may relate to a wide variety ofcharacteristics. Example locked parameters could relate to arrangementsof content (such as when regional logos are contained in the bottomleft) or instructions on where to obtain certain content (such as alocked pointer to content). When a parent level dynamically modifies itslocked parameters, those parameters propagate downstream to “child”levels in its chain when content is requested.

Note that the manner in which supplemental content is identified at anygiven level can vary depending on the implementation. For example, insome particular configurations, supplemental content related to an itemmay first be determined for the level itself, followed by adetermination of upstream parameters that relate to additionalsupplemental content for such an item. In other particularconfigurations, a specific geographic area can be identified, followedby a determination of which supplemental content should be obtained forsuch a geographic region.

Again, note that while the levels are described here using geographicregions, the levels may also or alternatively take on otherconfigurations. Additionally, although the chain in FIG. 5B is shown asa simple single n-level cluster, supplemental content may come from morethan one n-level. For example, it may be determined that a viewer ofbase content 500 is a male between the ages of 21-24 in the northeasternUnited States during winter. Accordingly, among many items that aredisplayed in the base content 500, supplemental content for a winter capsuitable for a male during cold times of the year may be shown inconjunction with supplemental content for male gloves. Differentsupplemental content items may correspond to different chains, anddifferent chains can have different levels with different supplementalcontent replication from parent to child levels. To the extent aconflict arises in terms of what supplemental content should bedisplayed and where, any suitable conflict procedures may be utilized toensure that the simultaneous (or other) display of the supplementalcontent is correct.

In some embodiments, items of base content or supplemental content maybe provided to a display based on categories having varying levels asdescribed above. Categories may include:

“universal” or “global” relevance items of base content or supplementalcontent to be displayed at one or more endpoints (or on one or moredisplays associated with one or more endpoints);

“regional” relevance items of base content or supplemental contentidentified by the region where one or more endpoints or one or moredisplays of one or more endpoints are located at or near;

“local” relevance items of base content or supplemental contentidentified by the specific location where one or more endpoints or oneor more displays of one or more endpoints are located at or near; or

“individual” relevance items of base content or supplemental contentidentified by each individual endpoint or one or more displays of anindividual endpoint.

As other examples, in some configurations, categories may include:

the time of day that one or more displays of one or more endpoints aredisplaying items of base content or supplemental content;

the time of year that one or more displays of one or more endpoints aredisplaying items of base content or supplemental content;

the types of cookies or cache stored in a memory associated with one ormore endpoints or one or more displays of one or more endpoints;

the quantity of one or more specific types of cookies or cache stored ina memory associated with one or more endpoints or one or more displaysof one or more endpoints;

one or more previous views of specific items of base content orsupplemental content previously displayed on one or more displays of oneor more endpoints;

one or more previous mouse clicks on specific items of base content orsupplemental content previously displayed on one or more displays of oneor more endpoints;

one or more previous purchases of goods or services previously displayedin one or more items of base content or supplemental content at one ormore endpoints or on one or more displays of one or more endpoints;

the amount of time that has passed from the last purchase of aparticular good or service previously displayed in one or more items ofbase content or supplemental content at one or more endpoints or on oneor more displays of one or more endpoints; or

items of base content or supplemental content that have been determinedto be of interest to one or more users associated with an endpoint or adisplay of an endpoint based on previous views, previous mouse clicks,or previous purchases of goods or services previously displayed in oneor more items of base content or supplemental content at one or moreendpoints or on one or more displays of one or more endpoints.

As still other examples, in some configurations, categories may include:

one or more goods or services previously purchased through a specificmerchant;

the types of goods or services previous purchased through one or moremerchants;

the amount of time that has passed from the last purchase of aparticular good or service through one or more merchants; or

items of base content or supplemental content that have been determinedto be of interest to one or more users associated with an endpoint or adisplay of an endpoint based on previous purchases of goods or servicesthrough one or more merchants.

Note that any combination of the above categories or other/additionalcategories could be used in any particular implementation of thisapproach. In general, the replication approach described here could beused with any suitable base content and any suitable supplementalcontent selected in any suitable manner.

One or more items of base content or supplemental content, such as item340 depicted in FIG. 3B, may be categorized into the one or morecategories. The item can then be associated with a transacting mediacontainer based on the one or more categories in order to provide acustomized display, such as a display created with dynamic binding, toindividual users or viewers. A transacting media container is a form oflogical software container which functions as an auto customizinginteractive media object with transactional capabilities. Note that adisplay may include items of base content or supplemental contentprovided by one container or by multiple containers. For example, asdepicted in FIG. 3A, base content 300 may be provided from a firstcontainer, while supplemental content 310 a or 310 b may be providedfrom a second container or a third container. In general, all items ofbase content or supplemental content may be provided from the samecontainer, all items of base content or supplemental content may beprovided from different containers, or some items of base content orsupplemental content may be provided from a common container while otheritems are provided from at least one other container.

Similar to one or more embodiments disclosed here, items of base contentor supplemental content may be associated with a transacting mediacontainer associated with one or more categories. An endpoint or adisplay of an endpoint may be provided items of base content orsupplemental content from particular containers based on an associationbetween the endpoint or the display of the endpoint and one or morecategories.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display 600 that may be created withn-level replication of supplemental content according to thisdisclosure. With reference to FIG. 6, base content 600 is shown, whichin this example represents a video (such as a paused or playing video).Note, however, that other types of content (such as photographs or otherstill images) may also be used for the base content. The base content600 may be associated with a transacting media container, which isitself associated with a category of universal or global relevance. Inthis particular example, the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL) may bemarketing jerseys of popular football players via the display createdwith dynamic binding. Because the base content 600 is associated with atransacting media container that is itself associated with a category ofuniversal or global relevance, regardless of any other categories thatan end user may be associated or identify with, the base content 600depicting the NFL logo may always appear whenever a user interacts withthe NFL display created with dynamic binding.

As a particular example, assume a first user at an endpoint in SanFrancisco interacts with the NFL display created with dynamic binding,and a second user at an endpoint in Miami interacts with the NFL displaycreated with dynamic binding at the same time or at a different time.Both users can see the same base content 600 (such as the NH, logo) inthe same location of their respective displays. Thus, because the basecontent 600 is associated with a transacting media container associatedwith the category of universal or global relevance, every NFL displaycan show the same base content, regardless of any associations anendpoint or a display at an endpoint may have with any category.

The supplemental content provided to different endpoints, however, canvary based on one or more associations an endpoint or a display at anendpoint may have with any category. In FIG. 6, supplemental content 610a is an interactive toolbar that contains a variety of options,including play and audio options 611, share options 613, account loginoptions 615, video quality options 617, and further information options619. The functionality of the play and audio options 611 are apparent toone of ordinary skill in the art. The functionality of the play andaudio options 611 are apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Alsoshown is a play bar 612, which is apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art. In particular configurations, the play bar 612 may replace aplay bar that would otherwise co-exist for a display of the base content600.

The supplemental content 610 a may itself be associated with atransacting media container associated with a category of universal orglobal relevance. In some embodiments, for example, the supplementalcontent 610 a may be associated with the same transacting mediacontainer as the base content 600. However, in other embodiments, thesupplemental content 610 a may be associated with a differenttransacting media container associated with the category of universal orglobal relevance. As a particular example, the NFL may wish for allusers at all endpoints or all displays of endpoints to have access tothe supplemental content 610 a regardless of any categories with whichthe individual endpoints or individual displays of endpoints may beassociated. Thus, for instance, users may use the supplemental content510 a to control video-streaming of the base content 600.

Supplemental content 610 b is shown as a product carousel that containsa plurality of interactive items that correspond to products or servicesthat may be shown in or associated with the video. A user may interactwith the displayable product carousel and purchase items or transactwithout leaving the displayable areas of the supplemental content 610 aand the base content 600. Furthermore, the supplemental content 610 bmay be associated with a transacting media container associated with aregional relevance. In FIG. 6, for instance, each displayable product inthe carousel of the supplemental content 610 b could represent a DALLASCOWBOYS jersey or T-shirt. The endpoint or a display of the endpoint maybe located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, allowing a user to viewDALLAS COWBOYS jerseys and T-shirts as the supplemental content 610 b.Conversely, an endpoint or a display of an endpoint located in Chicagoinstead may view CHICAGO BEARS jerseys and T-shirts as the supplementalcontent 610 b. By storing supplemental content 610 b in a containerassociated with regional relevance, local entities (such as the DALLASCOWBOYS or CHICAGO BEARS) instead of global or national entities (suchas the NFL) may be able to provide or market more focused products orservices via the supplemental content 610 b to their respective markets.

It should be understood that while the base content 600 and thesupplemental content 610 a described above may be associated with asingle transacting media container associated with universal or globalrelevance, the base content 600 or the supplemental content 610 a may beassociated with other transacting media containers associated with othercategories. For example, the base content 600 or the supplementalcontent 610 a could be limited to selected endpoints or displays ofendpoints based on associations with regional or local categories.Furthermore, the supplemental content 610 b may be associated with atransacting media container associated with universal or globalrelevance so that, regardless of associations between endpoints ordisplay of endpoints and categories, all users at endpoints may viewsame content as the supplemental content 610 b. For example, if theDALLAS COWBOYS win another SUPER BOWL, after doing so the NFL mayre-categorize the supplemental content 610 b to a container associatedwith universal or global relevance and display DALLAS COWBOYS jerseysand T-shirts globally to generate additional sales with jerseys andT-shirts of the most recent SUPER BOWL winner. Additionally, note thatwhile the previous examples illustrate two geographic levels of display(a global level and a regional level), the base content 600 and thesupplemental content 610 a or 610 b may be associated with one or moretransacting media containers associated with any number of geographiclevels (such as global relevance, continental relevance, nationalrelevance, regional relevance, state/provincial relevance, countyrelevance, city relevance, neighborhood relevance, climate relevance, orthe like). To that extent, any category may be parsed or differentiatedinto multiple degrees and organized by container accordingly.

As another example, assume that supplemental content 610 b can beassociated with a transacting media container associated with a regionalrelevance and a particular gender. Similar to one or more embodimentsdisclosed here, a particular endpoint or a particular display of anendpoint may be located in a particular region or area, such as in theDallas/Ft. Worth area. Additionally, the particular endpoint or displayof an endpoint may store cache or cookies in a memory. The cache orcookies may be detected, and the types of cache or cookies detected mayindicate that the user of the particular endpoint or display of anendpoint is of a particular gender (such as female). In FIG. 6, eachdisplayable product in the carousel of the supplemental content 610 b isa women's DALLAS COWBOYS jersey or T-shirt. Because the particularendpoint or the display of an endpoint may be located in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area and may store cache or cookies in an associated memoryindicating that the user of the particular endpoint or display of anendpoint is female, the supplemental content 610 b may allow a user ofthe particular endpoint or the display of an endpoint to view women'sDALLAS COWBOYS jerseys and T-shirts in the supplemental content 610 bwithout requiring an explicit identification of the user's gender.

It should be understood that while cache or cookies stored in a memoryassociated with an endpoint or a display of endpoint may be a categoryused to provide more focused content to an endpoint or a display of anendpoint, a wide variety of other or additional categories could beused. For example, as described above, time of day, time of year,previous views, mouse clicks, purchases or the like may be categoriesused to provide more focused content to endpoints or displays ofendpoints associated with unique individual users or viewers. As aparticular example, a user may have purchased a woman's TEXAS RANGERSjersey via an endpoint or a display of an endpoint at a previous time,such as through a dynamic binding display depicting TEXAS RANGERScontent. Thus, when a user at that endpoint or a user at a display ofthat endpoint interacts with a dynamic binding display depicting NFLcontent as shown in FIG. 6, the dynamic binding display may providewomen's DALLAS COWBOYS jerseys and T-shirts in the supplemental content610 b based on detecting or identifying a previous purchase of a women'sTEXAS RANGERS jersey using a dynamic binding display depicting TEXASRANGERS content.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example parent-child series of relationshipssupporting n-level replication of supplemental content according to thisdisclosure. The series shown here may utilize a replication arrangement,such as the arrangement shown in FIG. 5B and discussed above. The serieshere includes a parent entity 702, a local entity 704, a child entity706, and a supplemental content server 708. In one example embodiment,the parent entity 702 may be associated with a company (such as ACME,Inc.), the local entity 704 may be associated with a region (such asTexas), and the child entity 706 may be associated with a city (such asDallas). The structure of the levels of entities may be referred to as ahierarchy.

With reference to FIG. 7, a transacting media container 710 is providedalong with base content 712, parent entity information 714, andsupplemental content 716. The transacting media container 710 may be anexample of SMART CONTAINER code. The parent entity 702 may represent anentity, company, or organization. In some embodiments, the parent entity702 may reside on a server or other computer system. The parent entity702 may also be configured to display the transacting media container710 or send the transacting media container 710 to a user device fordisplay.

In some embodiments, the base content 712 may be an example of the basecontent 200 as shown in FIGS. 2A through 2E. The parent entityinformation 714 can be one type of supplemental content. For example,the parent entity information 714 could correspond to an entity,company, or organization. The parent entity information 714 may alsodescribe other characteristics, such as geographical region. Forinstance, the geographical region for the parent entity 702 may be anentire country.

The supplemental content 716 could be related or unrelated to the parententity information 714. As an example, the supplemental content 716could represent, for example, one or more products or services. Thesupplemental content 716 may relate to what is displayed in the basecontent 712 as well as the parent entity information 714.

In the local entity 704, the transacting media container 710 is providedalong with local entity information 724. The local entity 704 mayreceive the transacting media container 710 from the parent entity 702.In some examples, only a portion of the code for the local softwarecontainer 710 is sent from the parent entity 702. In other examples, allof the code for the transacting media container 710 is sent from theparent entity 702. In still other examples, code, base content 712,parent entity information 714, supplemental content 716, or acombination thereof is sent from the parent entity 702.

In some embodiments, the local entity 704 may also add local entityinformation 724 and/or local supplemental content 726 to the transactingmedia container 710. The local entity information 724 may be one type ofsupplemental content. For example, the local entity information 724could correspond to an entity, company, or organization. The localentity information 724 may also describe other characteristics, such asgeographical region. For instance, the geographical region for the localentity 704 may be a state. In other examples, the local entityinformation 724 may be an individual's information, such as name,identification, or other characteristic(s).

In some embodiments, the local entity 704 may retrieve the localsupplemental content 726 from the supplemental content server 708. Thelocal entity 704 may retrieve the local supplemental content 726 basedon the local entity information 724, the base content 712, anyinformation provided by the parent entity 702, and/or the like. As anexample, the local supplemental content 726 could represent one or moreproducts or services.

The local supplemental content 726 may be dynamically bound to the basecontent 712. In some embodiments, the local entity 704 may also beconfigured to display the transacting media container 710 or send thetransacting media container 720 to a user device for display.

In the child entity 706, the transacting media container 710 is providedalong with the child entity information 734. The child entity 706 mayreceive the transacting media container 710 from the local entity 704.In some examples, only a portion of the code for the local softwarecontainer 710 is sent from the local entity 704. In other examples, allof the code for the local software container 710 is sent from the localentity 704. In still other examples, code, base content 712, parententity information 714, supplemental content 716, or a combinationthereof is sent from the local entity 704.

In some embodiments, the child entity 706 may also add child entityinformation 734 and/or child supplemental content to transacting mediacontainer 710. The child entity information 734 may be one type ofsupplemental content. For example, the child entity information 734could correspond to an entity, company, or organization. The childentity information 734 may also describe other characteristics, such asgeographical region. For instance, the geographical region for the childentity 706 may be a city. In other examples, the child entityinformation 734 may be an individual's information, such as name,identification, or other characteristics.

In some embodiments, an Application Programming Interface (API) set isprovided for a Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) or other network marketingindustry. The API supports the replication of supplemental contentacross multiple levels, such as is shown in FIG. 7. The API could extendbeyond standard create, update, or delete functions for account andstore management. For the MLM industry, for example, the API couldinclude options for cloning accounts and stores, providing real-timeorder notifications, supporting channel and account reporting,supporting payment processing, and providing the ability to integratewith MLM systems.

As an example, the API set could provide an MLM party with the abilityto build account management that supports the ability to “onboard”accounts and associate an entity or owner account (such as a CINSAY INC.account) with the MLM system. As a particular example, the API may givecontrol user access to the CINSAY SMART STORE MANAGER backend. Thiscontrols access to areas such as merchant accounts, payment systems,products, product pricing, videos, and sales data. Upon provisioning ofa distributor's VIDEO SMART STORE from CINSAY, the distributor may notreceive the login information to the backend, and control is handled bythe MLM via the API set.

As another example, the API set could provide an MLM party with theability to standardize MLM videos and product offerings within a VIDEOSMART STORE. This provides the ability to set up a default or seededaccount for MLM accounts. This also provides the ability to replicateVIDEO SMART STORE templates via cloning, video, and product management.The API set further could give an MLM party the ability to receivereal-time notifications of product orders or events.

In an example embodiment, a reporting set provides a daily and weeklyexport of sales by MLM account. The ability to cross-reference a CINSAYaccount identifier and the MLM system account provides an MLM party withthe ability to integrate sales and events (such as transactions) withdownline/MLM system reporting (such as by child entities).

This API set gives the ability to build a backend management platformwithin an MLM system. The platform may include building a common consolefor MLM accounts to manage VIDEO SMART STORES without giving the MLMaccounts direct access to the VIDEO SMART STORE MANAGEMENT system. Thisallows direct linking of CINSAY accounts and MLM accounts for reportingand tracking.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process 800 for managing a transactingmedia container to support n-level replication of supplemental contentaccording to this disclosure. The process 800 may, for example, beperformed by at least one processing device 912 as shown in FIG. 9 anddescribed below. In the following description, the at least oneprocessing device 912 is referred to as a controller, although theprocess 800 could be performed by any other suitable device.

At step 810, a controller receives a transacting media container anaffiliate tracking identifier. The transacting media container caninclude video content and the affiliate tracking identifier can includefirst entity information from a first entity. The term “entityinformation,” such as first entity information, second entityinformation, local entity information, child entity information, orparent information, may represent one or more identifyingcharacteristics of an entity. The affiliate tracking identifier canallow tracking of commissions and reporting because the affiliatetracking identifier can include different entity information to seewhich entities at which levels are associated with a transaction.

At step 820, the controller identifies the local entity information. Forexample, if an entity is the BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA (BSoA), the BSoA maybe a parent entity, a troop may be a local entity, and an individualscout may be a child entity. The levels may be more numerous and varydifferently. For instance, a state may be the local entity, the troopmay be the child entity, and the scout may be a further child entity.The terms “parent,” “local,” and “child” are merely used to helpdescribe the relationship between entities. Other terms, such as“first,” “second,” and “third,” may also be used.

At step 830, the controller retrieves supplemental content related tothe local entity information. As an example, a child entity may beassumed to carry the characteristics of the parent plus some modifiedcharacteristics. As a particular example, a state level entity mayrelate to supplemental content regarding a state such as cowboy hats forTexas. At the troop level, those hats may be branded with local sportsteams or troop information.

At step 840, the controller adds the supplemental content and the localentity information to the transacting media container and the localentity information to the affiliate tracking identifier. In someembodiments, each entity adds its entity information to ensure trackingof the chain of entities for any transactions or events that may occurwith respect to the supplemental content.

Thereafter, the controller may send the transacting media container toanother entity or display the transacting media container on a device.At this point, the process 800 terminates for this controller, althoughthe process 800 could repeat for the controller in another entity thatreceives the transacting media container.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example computing device 900 for n-levelreplication of supplemental content according to this disclosure. Thecomputing device 900 here could be used to implement any of thetechniques or functions described above, including any combination ofthe techniques or functions described above. The computing device 900may generally be adapted to execute any of suitable operating system,including WINDOWS, MAC OS, UNIX, LINUX, OS2, IOS, ANDROID, or otheroperating systems.

As shown in FIG. 9, the computing device 900 includes at least oneprocessing device 912, a random access memory (RAM) 914, a read onlymemory (ROM) 916, a mouse 918, a keyboard 920, and input/output devicessuch as a disc drive 922, a printer 924, a display 926, and acommunication link 928. In other embodiments, the computing device 900may include more, less, or other components. Computing devices come in awide variety of configurations, and FIG. 9 does not limit the scope ofthis disclosure to any particular computing device or type of computingdevice.

Program code may be stored in the RAM 914, the ROM 916 or the disc drive922 and may be executed by the at least one processing device 912 inorder to carry out the functions described above. The at least oneprocessing device 912 can be any type(s) of processing device(s), suchas one or more processors, microprocessors, controllers,microcontrollers, multi-core processors, and the like. The communicationlink 928 may be connected to a computer network or a variety of othercommunicative platforms, including any of the various types ofcommunication networks 140 described above. The disc drive 922 mayinclude a variety of types of storage media such as, for example, floppydrives, hard drives, CD drives, DVD drives, magnetic tape drives, orother suitable storage media. One or multiple disc drive 922 may be usedin the computing device 900.

Note that while FIG. 9 provides one example embodiment of a computerthat may be utilized with other embodiments of this disclosure, suchother embodiments may utilize any suitable general-purpose orspecific-purpose computing devices. Multiple computing devices havingany suitable arrangement could also be used. Commonly, multiplecomputing devices are networked through the Internet and/or in aclient-server network. However, this disclosure may use any suitablecombination and arrangement of computing devices, including those inseparate computer networks linked together by a private or publicnetwork.

The computing devices 900 could represent fixed or mobile devices, andvarious components can be added or omitted based on the particularimplementation of a computing device. For example, mobile devices couldinclude features such as cameras, camcorders, GPS features, and antennasfor wireless communications. Particular examples of such mobile devicesinclude IPHONE, IPAD, and ANDROID-based devices.

Although the figures above have described various systems, devices, andmethods related to n-level replication of supplemental content, variouschanges may be made to the figures. For example, the designs of variousdevices and systems could vary as needed or desired, such as whencomponents of a device or system are combined, further subdivided,rearranged, or omitted and additional components are added. As anotherexample, while various methods are shown as a series of steps, varioussteps in each method could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in adifferent order, or occur any number of times. In addition, examples ofgraphical presentations are for illustration only, and content can bepresented in any other suitable manner. It will be understood thatwell-known processes have not been described in detail and have beenomitted for brevity. Although specific steps, structures, and materialsmay have been described, this disclosure may not be limited to thesespecifics, and others may be substituted as it is well understood bythose skilled in the art, and various steps may not necessarily beperformed in the sequences shown.

In some embodiments, various functions described in this patent documentare implemented or supported by a computer program that is formed fromcomputer readable program code and that is embodied in a computerreadable medium. The phrase “computer readable program code” includesany type of computer code, including source code, object code, andexecutable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any typeof medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read onlymemory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compactdisc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. A“non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless,optical, or other communication links that transport transitoryelectrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable mediumincludes media where data can be permanently stored and media where datacan be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical discor an erasable memory device.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used throughout this patent document. The terms “application”and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, softwarecomponents, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects,classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted forimplementation in a suitable computer code (including source code,object code, or executable code). The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and“communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompasses both directand indirect communication. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as wellas derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or”is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well asderivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within,interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with,couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave,juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a propertyof, have a relationship to or with, or the like. The phrase “at leastone of,” when used with a list of items, means that differentcombinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and onlyone item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B,and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, Aand C, B and C, and A and B and C.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodimentsand methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing fromthe invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a transactingmedia container comprising video content and an affiliate trackingidentifier with first entity information associated with a first entity;identifying second entity information associated with a second entity;retrieving supplemental content based on the second entity information;and adding the supplemental content to the transacting media containerand the second entity information to the affiliate tracking identifier.2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting thetransacting media container with the supplemental content and theaffiliate tracking identifier with the second entity information to athird entity.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displayingthe video content from the transacting media container and thesupplemental content; receiving transaction information related to thesupplemental content; and transmitting the transaction information andthe affiliate tracking identifier to one of a plurality of parententities, wherein the first entity comprises one of the parent entities.4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity and the second entitycomprise at least one of: company information, organization information,and individual information.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theaffiliate tracking identifier comprises entity information for multipleparent entities that previously processed the transacting mediacontainer.
 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receivingtransaction information related to the supplemental content from thethird entity; and sending the transaction information and the affiliatetracking identifier to one of a plurality of parent entities.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the transaction information is related to oneor more products or services associated with the supplemental content.8. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store atransacting media container, the transacting media container comprisingvideo content and an affiliate tracking identifier with first entityinformation; and at least one processing device configured to: receivethe transacting media container from a first entity; identify secondentity information associated with a second entity; retrievesupplemental content based on the second entity information; and add thesupplemental content to the transacting media container and the secondentity information to the affiliate tracking identifier.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing device isfurther configured to initiate transmission of the transacting mediacontainer with the supplemental content and the affiliate trackingidentifier with the second entity information to a third entity.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processing device isfurther configured to: initiate display of the video content from thetransacting media container and the supplemental content; receivetransaction information related to the supplemental content; andinitiate transmission of the transaction information and the affiliatetracking identifier to one of a plurality of parent entities, whereinthe first entity comprises one of the parent entities.
 11. The apparatusof claim 8, wherein the first entity and the second entity comprise atleast one of: company information, organization information, andindividual information.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein theaffiliate tracking identifier comprises entity information for multipleparent entities that previously processed the transacting mediacontainer.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least oneprocessing device is further configured to: receive transactioninformation related to the supplemental content from the third entity;and initiate transmission of the transaction information and theaffiliate tracking identifier to one of a plurality of parent entities.14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transaction information isrelated to one or more products or services associated with thesupplemental content.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising logic stored on the computer-readable medium, the logicconfigured when executed to cause at least one processing device to:receive a transacting media container comprising video content and anaffiliate tracking identifier with first entity information associatedwith a first entity; identify second entity information associated witha second entity; retrieve supplemental content based on the secondentity information; and add the supplemental content to the transactingmedia container and the second entity information to the affiliatetracking identifier.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein the logic is configured when executed to cause the atleast one processing device to initiate transmission of the transactingmedia container with the supplemental content and the the affiliatetracking identifier with second entity information to a third entity.17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein thelogic is configured when executed to cause the at least one processingdevice to: initiate display of the video content from the transactingmedia container and the supplemental content; receive transactioninformation related to the supplemental content; and initiatetransmission of the transaction information and the affiliate trackingidentifier to one of a plurality of parent entities, wherein the firstentity comprises one of the parent entities.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the first entity and thesecond entity comprise at least one of: company information,organization information, and individual information.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theaffiliate tracking identifier comprises entity information for multipleparent entities that previously processed the transacting mediacontainer.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16,wherein the logic is configured when executed to cause the at least oneprocessing device to: receive transaction information related to thesupplemental content from the third entity; and initiate transmission ofthe transaction information and the affiliate tracking identifier to oneof a plurality of parent entities.